U.S. Pat. No. 4,279,410 discloses a method and apparatus for folding sheet stacks in a web-fed rotary printing press. The sheet stacks are severed from groups of paper ribbons and are conveyed by suitable conveying cylinders to spaced folding tables. Each folding table is provided with rotating folding blades and cooperating driving folding roller pairs. Each folding table is further provided with a pulse absorber assembly having a plurality of stop rods or bars which are positioned to contact the leading edge of each group of sheet stacks to halt the motion of the stacks on the folding tables. The halted sheet stacks are then folded.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,538,242 discloses a folder apparatus for a web-fed printing press. The printed webs are conducted over a former and folded. After being folded, the web is fed through the nips of upper and lower draw rollers and guide rollers to a cutting cylinder, which severs the web to form printed signatures. A web separating device is provided between the upper draw rollers and the lower draw rollers. The signatures are then fed by a lead-in tape system to fan pockets of two fans. As the fans rotate, the signatures are deposited to two stacks.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,231,044 discloses a delivery portion of a folder of a high speed printing press which includes a diverting section and a bucket section. Successive folded and cut signatures enter the diverting section from the cutting cylinders and are positioned between driven transport tapes. The signatures are diverted into a first or a second signature path and, most typically the signatures are diverted alternately to the first path then to the second path. After being diverted, the signatures enter the bucket section of the folder. Signatures on the first path are transported between the tapes to a first rotating bucket assembly and the signatures on the path are transported between the tapes to a second rotating bucket assembly. The first bucket assembly transfers and slows down signatures diverted along the first path to a first conveyor and the second bucket assembly transfers signatures diverted along the second path to a second conveyor. The conveyors transport the signatures in a shingled stream to an area for accumulation or further processing, such as to a stacker.
U.S. Publication No. 2001/0022421 discloses a delivery apparatus for sorting a single stream of signatures into two or more streams, the apparatus includes two counter-rotating bucket assemblies. Each bucket assembly includes a plurality of buckets spaced from one another along a common axis. The two bucket assemblies operate to sort the single stream of signatures into two streams and also slow down the signatures. Stripping assemblies operate to remove a signature at a time from a respective bucket. The signature then falls upon a conveyor where successive signatures are arranged in a shingled stream.